The Pink Kimono
by Marie Hawkins
Summary: Shunsui loves his pink kimono; but it indeed has a story of its own. What are some of the things its seen? The emotions of its owners? Shunsui\OC sibling fluffiness!
1. Chapter 1

**A\N:**Wooooo for first Bleach fics! I would say that this is more of a fic-let, especially since this isn't really the main feature\plotline for my OC. But I heart Kyouraku-san and I just kinda wanted to write this. Its been in my head. So... yeah. There are other chapters, but they'll all be brief. Reviews...? :D

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><p>Sayu Kyouraku wasn't like any other girls she knew. She was loud and boisterous. All of her friends were boys; she'd been practically raised by her two elder brothers. She was a young girl with an affinity for mud, wrestling, racing, and climbing trees. The example that her mother had set for her to follow was ignored, and pushed to the far corners of Sayu's mind. She didn't intentionally forget the things that her mother tried to teach her, it was quite the opposite. It merely seemed that Sayu was incapable of behaving the way a noblewoman should.<p>

Anything girly she received, any activity that reminded others of her femininity, she tried to keep private. Her brothers (and particularly her best friend, Ito) enjoyed teasing her when she participated in these brief and uncommon indulgences. Today, was no different than any other day. Other than the fact that today was Sayu's birthday. She was still incredibly young, even by human standards, though she'd had enough birthdays to know what sorts of gifts to expect. As expected, she'd received the most embarrassing gift of all from Ito. He came from a noble family as well, and had the money to afford lavish gifts. Sayu felt embarrassed that she didn't appreciate his gift, though she knew very well that he'd picked what he had to tease her. She thanked him graciously and hurried home to hide the gift from the prying eyes of her family members.

"Whatcha tucking away?" Shunsui asked, sneaking up behind his little sister. Sayu, who had been oblivious to her elder brother's presence moments before, quickly turned with wide eyes to face her brother. She kept her hands behind her back, obviously attempting to conceal something behind her small frame. She blew a small strand of curly hair out of her eyes and smiled innocently up at Shunsui.

"I'm not tucking anything away," she said, quite unconvincingly. "I-I was looking for something." Shunsui merely laughed. He casually snatched the wad of fabric Sayu had attempted to hide behind her back. Its bright pink fabric patterned with flowers was difficult to miss. He easily held it out of Sayu's reach, though she did try desperately to regain possession of it.

"What's this?" he asked, unwrinkling the fabric. It was a rather large kimono, too incredibly large for someone of Sayu's size. "A birthday present?" he asked, winking at his sister as he slid the large kimono over his own shoulders. Sayu nodded, but said nothing. She looked slightly embarrassed; her freckled cheeks were taking on the same shade as the kimono. Shunsui twirled, modeling the kimono for his sister. His antics had the desired effect. Sayu's face broke into a lopsided grin. "How do I look?" he asked. "You think this could help me score with the ladies?" Sayu hesitated.

"No," she said at length, giggling in an adorably girlish way. Shunsui pretended to be crushed at her response.

"Why not? It doesn't match my eyes does it?" he asked, pulling the sleeve up to his eye and blinking dramatically.

"Pink is a _girl_ color," Sayu protested.

"Well then, why don't _you_ like it?" Shunsui asked, attempting to understand the logic of an incredibly young tomboy. Sayu gave her brother an incredulous look, which she believed sufficed to answer his question. After a beat of silence, a mischievous grin- only known to appear on the faces of the Kyouraku children- crept upon her face.

"If you like it so much you can hold onto it," she informed her brother. "It fits you better than it would ever fit me. At least for the next few decades." Shunsui laughed.

"You're re-gifting your kimono?" he asked, patting Sayu lightly on the head. "Hardly fitting behavior of a noble."

"Well, it doesn't fit," Sayu protested. "And you won't tell Ito I didn't like it, will you?" she pleaded with her brother.

"No," he laughed. "Especially not since I know pink is a popular color with the ladies. It takes a real man to pull off this color, and I think I'm just the man to show you how its done."


	2. Chapter 2

Sayu wandered into her brother's room. Things were oddly orderly, making the atmosphere seem foreign to her. Shunsui had been reclining with his strong arms behind his head, his eyes closed in meditation. They fluttered open as he heard her enter.

"Hello, Sayu," he grinned as she sat beside him. "Have you come to console me in my melancholy state?" he asked, sitting up.

"Your things are all packed," Sayu observed, continuing to let her eyes wander around the room. "Are you leaving soon, nii-san?"

"Afraid so," he smiled sadly.

"And you'll miss me terribly?" she asked, grinning. Shunsui laughed and got to his feet. Sayu's eyes followed him as he walked towards a stack of clothes that he had folded neatly.

"I have something for you," he said, changing the subject. "So that you won't miss _me_ too terribly while I'm away at the academy." Sayu saw a large bundle of pink cloth sail through the air and land gracefully on her lap. Her cursed kimono. She smiled and pulled the fabric up to her face. She wasn't so repulsed by it anymore; she had come to think of it as her brother's possession rather than her own. When she had given it to him, she hardly expected him to wear it. Though, true to his word, he did. She had actually grown accustomed to the sight of her brother in the kimono. It reflected his quirky personality in an odd way. "You have to promise to take care of that while I'm gone," Shunsui instructed, sitting across from his little sister. He tucked a strand of flyaway curly hair behind her ear. "Don't let it get stained, don't play in the mud with it, and do not rip it," he teased. "I don't think I would wear it if it had stains all over it."

"You won't need to worry, nii-san," she smiled up at him. "I'll take good care of it. But, are you sure you don't want to take it to the academy?" she asked.

"I can't," he replied. "I have to wear a uniform. My uniform may not give me the appearance of great charm that the kimono does," he winked, "But I am sure that it will not prevent any girl from falling for my charms." Sayu laughed. "And yes," he said, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her forehead, "I will miss you terribly. So terribly, in fact, that I think I shall tear myself away from the academy from time to time to come and visit you."

"If you hate the idea of going to the academy so much, why are you going?" Sayu asked inquisitively. "Couldn't you have just turned down old man Ginyuu?"

"I'm sure I could have," Shunsui agreed. "But I find that I am persuaded to go, despite my own personal distastes. To be honest, I'm not really sure why I'm going myself," he sighed. "When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

"Do you think I could enroll, too?" Sayu asked, her large violet eyes widening. "That way, you wouldn't be so upset about going, and I wouldn't miss you!" Shunsui laughed.

"I don't think you're quite ready to enroll yet," he said. Sayu scowled, slightly offended at her elder brother's doubts. Her scowl only provoked more laughter from Shunsui. "Don't you want to wait a few years until Ito can go, too? That way, you can impress all of the teachers when you beat him in stick fights," he said, knowing the idea would appeal to his sister.

"I don't care too much about beating Ito," Sayu said, her scowl not lightening. "I just want to be with you." Sayu had spent a large portion of her life under the care of her elder brothers. Satoru, the eldest, was already out of the house, though his daily activities were a mystery to both Shunsui and Sayu. Now Shunsui was leaving, and Sayu would be left to her own devices. It wasn't to say that her mother and father didn't care for her, it was quite the opposite; they loved their only daughter dearly. It was only that Sayu was young and rebellious, and her parents increasingly busy and duty laden. The only ones that seemed to appreciate her behavior and have time to spare for her were her elder brothers. Sayu hugged Shunsui's pink kimono tightly.

"Nee-chan," Shunsui said softly, touched by his sister's manifestation of affection. "I'll go alone this year, and tell you how I like it at the academy. Then, you can decide whether or not you want to go, alright?"

"I don't care how you like it there," she said, sticking her chin out defiantly. "You might just lie and say that you hate it." She paused and then sighed. "Do your best, alright, nii-san? That way, when I'm old enough and I enroll, the teachers won't be too surprised at how good I am. Make them proud of the Kyouraku name!"

Sayu's impromptu pep-talk brought a smile to Shunsui's lips. He may not like the idea of the academy too much, but his sister was rooting for his success. Even at her young age, she was able to appreciate him and his abilities. He was going to miss that little trouble-maker more than he'd care to admit.

"Sayu, you'll make the teachers more proud of the Kyouraku name than I ever could," he said, pulling her into a tight one armed hug.

"Careful," she said, grinning and pushing him off her. "You'll wrinkle your stupid kimono."


End file.
